Water actuated ring toss target

ABSTRACT

A game in which rings are tossed on laterally spaced upstanding pins having lower ends fixed to a crosshead and upper ends free to receive the rings. The crosshead is rotatable on a base or other support. When used on a lawn, a hose may be connected to the base to supply water to spray nozzles in the pins and crosshead. Reaction forces of the water from one or more nozzles causes rotaton of the pins and crosshead and increases the skill required.

United States Patent [1 1 Clarke [451 Feb. 18, 1975 WATER ACTUATED RING TOSS TARGET [76] Inventor: William A. Clarke, 1001 Linden Ave., Erie, Pa. 16505 [58] Field of Search...... 239/251; 272/1 B; 273/100, 273/104, 105.2; 46/91 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,847,763 3/1932 Keys 239/251 2,076,010 4/1937 String 273/100 2,159,174 5/1939 Morris 273/104 2,649,804 8/1953 Kennedy 46/91 3,602,509 8/1971 Curtiss 273/100 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 139,985 3/1920 Great Britain 273/104 Primary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-Marvin Siskind Attorney, Agent, or FirmRalph Hammar [57] ABSTRACT A game in which rings are tossed onlaterally spaced upstanding pins having lower ends fixed to a crosshead and upper ends free to receive the rings. The crosshead is rotatable on a base or other support. When used on a lawn, a hose may be connected to the base to supply water to spray nozzles in the pins and crosshead. Reaction forces of the water from one or more nozzles causes rotaton of the pins and crosshead and increases the skill required.

6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 'i i' 5 5 4 a H a I 3 5a WATER ACTUATED RING TOSS TARGET This invention is a ring toss game in which ringsare tossed onto upstanding pins mounted on a rotatable crosshead. In a preferred form for outdoor use, the pins are provided with spray nozzzles which sprinkle the children playing the game and also increase the skill required by rotating the pins at a rate of speed controlled by the water pressure. When used without water, the impact of the rings against the pins causes rotation which changes the position of the pins. In the drawing,

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective of the game,

FIG. 2 is a sectional elevation, and

FIG. 3 is a section on line 33 of FIG. 1.

The game has a base 1 set up at the center of a target ring 2. For indoor use the base and ring would be set up on the floor. For outdoor use the base and ring might be set up on the lawn. The base is about half the diameter of the target ring 2 so that the base itself can serve as a target. The base has a raised circular center la surrounded by concentric sections lb, 10 stepped progressively downward. The section 10 terminates in a downwardly extending rim 1d which can be set on any flat surface such as a floor, lawn, driveway, etc. The target ring may be made of any suitable material such as a length ofplastic tubing bent into a circle and joined end to end.

At the center of the base is an upstanding cup 3 having its lower end fastened to section la by fasteners 3a. Integral with the cup is a fitting 4 for connection to a fitting 5 on hose 5a. The upper end of the cup is closed by a cap'6 having an externally threaded flange 6a screwed into internal threads 3b in the cup. At the center of the cap is a sleeve 6b providing a bearing for a hollow shaft 7. The lower end of the sleeve 6b is slotted radially to provide for flow of water to lubricate the bearing. The cap 6 controls the flow of water into the fitting 4. In the lowermost position, the lower end of flange 6b restricts the opening 4a. Unscrewing the cap reduces the restriction and allows a greater flow.

The upper end of the shaft 7 is screwed into a hub 8 in hollow crosshead 9. The crosshead may be of upper and lower plastic parts 9a, 9b with peripheral flanges 90 presented toward each other and welded together.

In the outer ends of the crosshead are fixed rigid hollow arms 10 over which are telescoped hollow tubes or pins 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the pins are of D section with flat sides 12 facing each other. Holes 13 in the sides 12 provide spray nozzles. Other spray nozzles are provided by orifice members 14 in the upper ends of the tubes 11. A force fit is adequate to secure the tubes 11 to the arms 10 and to secure the orifice members 14 in the tubes.

When used outdoors, the base 1 and target ring 2 are usually set up on a lawn or driveway with the hose 5a connected to fitting 4. When the hose is turned on, water flows into the crosshead 9 through the lower end of the hollow shaft 7 and sprays through openings 13 and orifices 14. These sprays are in the plane of the shaft and do not cause rotation. Sprays through tangential openings 15, 16 in the tubes 11 and crosshead 9 exert a turning moment causing rotation of the shaft on its axis, the speed of rotation being proportional to the water pressure. Slightly below the upper ends of the pins 11 is a strut or sling 17 which may, for example, be a rubber band. The strut has under size openings 17a in each end which are stretched over and frictionally grip the pins 11. The purpose of the strut 17 is to hold rings 18 above the base 1 so that rings tossed over the pins 11 will not drag on the base 1 and interfere with the free rotation of the pins. Also, the rings 18 bounce when landing on the band and may bounce off the pins. 5 Neoprene is a preferred material for the band. In using the toy, the players stand a designated distance away from the center of the target ring 2 (e.g., 6 to 10 feet for children and 12 to 14 feet for adults) and toss rings toward the pins 11. The difficulty of landing the ring 18 over one of the pins 11 is increased by the distance the player stands from the target ring 2 and by the speed of rotation of the shaft 7 which carries the pins. The lowest score would be obtained from a ring such as indicated at 19 which merely touches the target ring 2. A higher score would be obtained by a ring such as indicated at 20 which is wholly within the target ring 2. The highest score would be obtained by the ring designated at 18 which is looped over one of the pins 11. No score would be obtained by a ring such as indicated at 21 which is outside the target ring 2.

As an example of scoring, one point would be given for a ring any part of which touches the target ring 2, two points would be given for any ring wholly within .the target ring 2, and three points would be given for a ring looped over either of the pins 11. The first player to score 21 points would be the winner. The winner must come out to an even 21 points. Any score which goes over 2] points does not count. The player must continue throwing rings until his total score is exactly The toy may be used indoors without the hose. Rings striking the pins 11 cause rotation which changes the relative position of the pins.

The toy is adapted to injection molding of thermoplastics such as polyethylene, ABS, etc., although other non-corrosive materials such as brass are suitable.

In the toy illustrated, the pins 11 have a length of l2 inches and a spacing at the lower ends of about 6 inches and at the upper ends of 12 to 14 inches. The strut 17 is about 3 inches below the upper ends of the pins. The crosshead 9 rotates at from 6 to 8 RPM when adjusted for low speed and at from 12 to 18 RPM when adjusted for high speed. The rings 18 are about 8 inches in diameter. The spray nozzles at full flow sprinkle a circle about feet in diameter which is ample to sprinkle all of the players. These dimensions are by way of example and not of limitation.

What is claimed is:

l. A rotatable ring toss having a head, a plurality of upstanding pins laterally spaced from each other and with lower ends fixed to the head and with upper ends free to receive rings, a strut in the form of a resilient strip of rubber extending between two of said pins, said strut being above the head and below the upper ends of said pins for holding above the head a ring looped over one of said pins, said pins and head being hollow and provided with spray nozzles, a base, a cup fixed to the base, a hose fitting leading to an opening entering the side of the cup, a sleeve fixed to the cup, and a hollow shaft having its lower end journaled in said sleeve and its upper end fixed fixed to said head for rotatably supporting the head on the base, one of the nozzles being tangentially oriented whereby fluid reaction forces cause rotation of said head.

2. The toy of claim 1 in which the sleeve is adjustably fixed to said head and cooperates with said opening to vary the flow through said opening.

3. A rotatable ring toss lawn sprinkler toy comprising a base, a set of rings, a hollow head, means for journalling the head on the base, a hose fitting in said base for conducting water under pressure into the interior of said head, an upstanding hollow pin having its lower end fixed to said head and communicating with the interior of said head and having its upper end free to receive rings, said head and pin constituting a rotatable element provided with water spray nozzles and means for rotating the head to shift the position of the pin.

4. The toy of claim 3 in which the head is journaled for rotation about a vertical axis and has ends laterally spaced from each other and radially spaced from said axis, and upstanding hollow pins have lower ends fixed to said ends of the head and communicating with the interior of the head and having upper ends free to receive rings.

5. The toy of claim 4 in which a strut extends between two of said pins, said strut being spaced above the head and below the upper ends of the pins for holding above the head a ring looped over one of 'said pins,

6. The toy of claim 4 in which at least one of said nozzles is oriented to exert a reaction force in the direction to rotate the head about said axis. 

1. A rotatable ring toss having a head, a plurality of upstanding pins laterally spaced from each other and with lower ends fixed to the head and with upper ends free to receive rings, a strut in the form of a resilient strip of rubber extending between two of said pins, said strut being above the head and below the upper ends of said pins for holding above the head a ring looped over one of said pins, said pins and head being hollow and provided with spray nozzles, a base, a cup fixed to the base, a hose fitting leading to an opening entering the side of the cup, a sleeve fixed to the cup, and a hollow shaft having its lower end journaled in said sleeve and its upper end fixed fixed to said head foR rotatably supporting the head on the base, one of the nozzles being tangentially oriented whereby fluid reaction forces cause rotation of said head.
 2. The toy of claim 1 in which the sleeve is adjustably fixed to said head and cooperates with said opening to vary the flow through said opening.
 3. A rotatable ring toss lawn sprinkler toy comprising a base, a set of rings, a hollow head, means for journalling the head on the base, a hose fitting in said base for conducting water under pressure into the interior of said head, an upstanding hollow pin having its lower end fixed to said head and communicating with the interior of said head and having its upper end free to receive rings, said head and pin constituting a rotatable element provided with water spray nozzles and means for rotating the head to shift the position of the pin.
 4. The toy of claim 3 in which the head is journaled for rotation about a vertical axis and has ends laterally spaced from each other and radially spaced from said axis, and upstanding hollow pins have lower ends fixed to said ends of the head and communicating with the interior of the head and having upper ends free to receive rings.
 5. The toy of claim 4 in which a strut extends between two of said pins, said strut being spaced above the head and below the upper ends of the pins for holding above the head a ring looped over one of said pins.
 6. The toy of claim 4 in which at least one of said nozzles is oriented to exert a reaction force in the direction to rotate the head about said axis. 